Our community responds with generosity to COVID, wildfires, Census, and more.
You saw the needs in 2020, and you and your neighbors stepped up to meet them. We at Community Foundation Boulder County want to express our deep thanks to our grantees, donors, and everyone who did what they could to make a difference.
Your efforts added up. At the Community Foundation, we processed record numbers of gifts and grants last year, adding nearly $18 million to a variety of endowed and non-endowed funds and distributing more than $10 million to nonprofit organizations.
Here’s a recap of 2020 by the numbers*:
- We received more than 4,600 gifts – more than twice the average number received during the previous four years.
- We distributed nearly 3,000 grants – a 50% increase over the same time period.
- We received assistance and guidance from 160 volunteers who helped us distribute grants during this historic year, almost double the volunteers in 2019.
- Our COVID-19 Response Fund received $1.9 million from almost 900 contributors. To date, we have distributed nearly $1.1 million of that in grants to fantastic local nonprofits such as Bridge House. A Bridge House “Ready to Work” program trainee is pictured above. The balance of the funding will continue to be granted thoughtfully and strategically as we wade through this pandemic together. Our community is still in crisis. Consider supporting the COVID-19 Response Fund today.
- Our 2020 Fires Relief Fund raised almost $900K from more than 1,700 donors. Grants totaling more than $400K have been awarded for direct assistance, mental health vouchers, and nonprofit organizations and fire protection districts impacted by the Cal-Wood and Lefthand Canyon Fires. The remaining funds will be invested in land restoration and wildfire mitigation and preparedness.
- Our 2020 Census Fund raised $130K and was paired with an additional $120K from additional funders. The grants funded 12 agencies across Boulder County to hire 21 cultural brokers who encouraged residents from historically hard-to-count populations to complete the Census.
- We supported small business relief efforts. We issued 185 grants to Boulder County small businesses, totaling nearly $450K, in partnership with the Boulder Chamber and with major support from the City of Boulder and others. The Lyons Community Foundation, our affiliate, also issued 74 grants totaling more than $40K to small businesses in their town.
- Along the way, we passed a significant milestone: Your Community Foundation has now granted more than $100 million since its inception in 1991.
Thank you for helping us respond to the crises of 2020 and for joining with us in building a more equitable Boulder County.
* Numbers are preliminary
